


World Victory Tour - San Francisco

by nanuk_dain



Series: Drift Compatible [53]
Category: Pacific Rim (Movies)
Genre: Humor, M/M, PBC (Post-Breach-Collapse), PPDC World Victory Tour, Shatterdome Shenanigans, Team Hot Dads
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-11
Updated: 2019-03-11
Packaged: 2019-11-15 17:29:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,114
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18077831
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nanuk_dain/pseuds/nanuk_dain
Summary: The media find out about the fact that Chuck and Raleigh are a couple. It has consequences.





	World Victory Tour - San Francisco

**Author's Note:**

> Ohhh, I had so much fun writing this! I hope you enjoy the newest shenanigans - I know the Wei Tang brothers did... XD

_San Francisco, California, February 18th 2025_

 

It's on a Tuesday morning that there's a picture of Chuck and Raleigh on the front pages of all newspapers and media outlets. They're kissing.

There's no misunderstanding the situation depicted in that photograph, it's pretty obvious what's going on. At least it's a pretty tame kiss, Herc thinks gratefully. They're not full on making out and they're still wearing all of their clothes. Considering that the setting of the picture makes it obvious that it was taken in a private situation - Herc recognises their current hotel rooms - he's sure that somebody was spying on his boys with a strong zoom lens. Damn paparazzi. 

Raleigh just shrugs and continues eating when he sees the paper at breakfast. Chuck doesn't take it quite as well, but it's obvious that it's the invasion of his and Raleigh's privacy that he's most pissed about. He rants and cusses all throughout breakfast until Raleigh tells him to look at the good side of it: At least they won't have to worry that they won't be able to expand their photo wall. He gets his Swiss army knife out of his pocket, carefully cuts the picture out of the newspaper and holds it out to Chuck, pointing out that it's a pretty nice shot that he'll add to _their_ photo collection. Chuck shuts up after that and Herc is sure he can see a blush on his cheeks along with a pleased smirk that's not quite hidden. It's cute, really, but Herc knows better than to say that out loud.

While sipping his coffee and eating his eggs, Herc secretly wonders how long it will take before Stacker and he make the headlines. He's under no illusion that they won't, there's way too much attention on the participants of the World Victory Tour - most of it in the form of cameras, open as well as hidden. Herc ponders that it might be better to make his and Stacker's relationship official before a picture like the one of Chuck and Raleigh appears in the papers. Considering that they're currently housed on the twenty-first floor of their hotel and even that didn't keep the paparazzi away, it's safe to say that there's no privacy even in their own rooms.

If he and Stacker make the move before the media can, at least it'll be on their terms, it'll be official and there won't be a scandal. They're the leaders of the PPDC, after all, they have to be above reproach because their integrity will reflect upon the PPDC. On top of that, it won't take very long until somebody puts two and two together - he's surprised nobody _did_ point it out yet - and realises that since they're a perfect match, they're a couple, too. There's not a single perfect match that isn't, after all. 

Maybe their saving grace is the fact that there's so little known about perfect matches and how they work. Still, ever since the details about the attack on the Breach hit the media, everybody knows that not only Gipsy Danger, but also Striker Eureka was piloted by a perfect match. And after today's news, it's also known that Chuck and Raleigh are a couple, just as the Kaidanovskys are. It doesn't take much to make assumptions about Stacker's and Herc's relationship, especially since they've always been known to be close.

Yeah, he'll definitely talk to Stacker about it - as soon as possible. This morning, even. He has a feeling this is going to blow wide open pretty quickly. 

So he finds Stacker after breakfast and is not surprised that he agrees with Herc's suggestion to make their relationship official, including the information that they've been together for almost ten years. Considering their high standing within the PPDC hierarchy, it's to make the point that their relationship not a fling (ten years is _definitely not_ a fling), not some affair (it's never been a secret, after all), not a misuse of power (they got together when they were both Rangers of equal rank) and most definitely not up for debate (don't even _try_ ). 

Stacker calls a spontaneous meeting with Amanda James just an hour later to sort out the details of how to make their relationship public. She's not surprised by the news - it's obviously not news to her - and her analytical mind immediately turns to how to make this happen with the greatest amount of positive publicity for the PPDC. It only takes her a few minutes to come up with a plan that makes absolute sense: There's a show that evening with the K-Science division, including Caitlin Lightcap, and Amanda points out that it's the perfect opportunity to run a little special session on drifting and especially perfect matches. It's not what the show is planned to cover, but she'll just change the topic on a short notice. And she'll schedule the Kaidanovskys and Chuck and Raleigh to go along, although they weren't originally planned in for tonight's show. Oh, and of course Herc and Stacker will have to make an appearance as well. If they want to sell it as a special on the perfect match phenomenon, they'll have to show _all_ their perfect matches, after all. Herc and Stacker agree to her suggestion and leave her to scheme and plan things to her satisfaction. 

Herc follows the news throughout the day and is glad to see that the public takes the revelation of Chuck's and Raleigh's relationship with largely positive reactions. Most speak favourable of it, crediting the intense perfect match bond. It's an explanation that is never criticised, astonishingly enough even the most opposed minds seem to respect the perfect match connection as if it's a sacred institution. It's one of the things that most fascinates people about the whole Jaeger business, and the Kaidanovskys as the first and most famous perfect match have instilled a stunned awe in people with their impressive and flawless fighting skills. Their demonstration in Vladivostok left the public reeling with admiration, and people still remember the no less impressive fight between Chuck and Raleigh in Anchorage. It comes in quite handy now.

Neither Raleigh nor Chuck actually give a damn about what the media say. When they're confronted with the day's revelation that same afternoon during a talk show, they simply confirm that they're a couple and move on to the next topic. Herc is impressed by Chuck's restraint. He expected a bit more of an explosion. He's sure Raleigh has something to do with that. He doesn't miss that Raleigh and Chuck are openly - one might even say _pointedly_ \- displaying the matching circuitry burns that they both suffered on their right arm. It's obvious that the burns are an exact match, although Chuck's stand out more prominently because they're more severe and not quite healed yet. Herc knows Chuck still wears a bandage to protect them because they're still painful, so this is definitely no coincidence. They're making a point, and it fits right in with tonight's improvised special on perfect matches.

Chuck and Raleigh as well as Sasha and Aleksis agreed immediately to join tonight's show when Amanda James explained the situation to them at an improvised briefing shortly before lunch. She insisted that they all show up in full dress uniform to give the content of the show more weight and seriousness. So when the evening's show approaches, Herc puts on his Marshall's uniform, seeing Stacker do the same next to him. They never bothered to go official before because it was irrelevant - they never hid their relationship, after all, and they were both not prone to PDAs, so there was no need to. But now the situation is different, now it actually matters for their jobs and the future of the PPDC that they take a firm stand. Herc can't say that he terribly minds, although he still thinks that his personal relationships shouldn't factor in on how qualified he's perceived to be for the job he's doing. After all, he's been working in a high capacity for the PPDC for the better part of a decade, and it never mattered before. 

The show goes smoothly. It's a testament to Amanda James' extraordinary management skills, considering that she only came up with the concept that morning and had less than ten hours to put it into effect. Although Dr Gottlieb resisted rather forcefully against being part of it and therefore remained on Kodiak Island, Newt is his usual enthusiastic self and Caitlin is obviously very well prepared. She goes into some detail about what little is known about perfect matches and easily involves the Rangers present to support her explanations with firsthand accounts. She manages to make the fact that all of the known perfect matches are couples into a simple truth that is just one of many aspects of the perfect match phenomenon. She pointedly picks first Sasha and Aleksis to illustrate her point, because they were not only a couple but actually married before the concept of drifting was even invented. She then moves on to Stacker and Herc as the second perfect match to be discovered only shortly after the initiation of the Jaeger Program, seamlessly equalling their relationship to the Kaidanovsky's, which she is well aware enjoys profound respect and admiration with the public. Herc is impressed by her move and wonders how much of it is a brainchild of Amanda James'. 

The host asks a lot of intelligent questions that lead the discussion along nicely and allow for the topic to be explored at an easy pace. All in all, a lot of information is shared in a way that makes it comprehensible to the audience, which is quite a feat considering that drifting is a very complex field. Furthermore factoring in that the audience is bound to have little profound knowledge of drifting in general, since the PPDC never disclosed much information to begin with, Herc considers the show to be a veritable success by the time they're done. He sees Stacker smile at him when they're back in make-up to get ready to leave, and he knows that Stacker agrees that tonight went a lot better than they both expected. Herc makes sure to thank Caitlin for her terrific performance and she smiles at him. It turns into a smirk when she lets him know that getting the public interested in the perfect match phenomenon may very well allow her one day to get funding for further research, so it's not like she's not getting anything out of it. Herc just laughs and congratulates her on her cunning mind. 

Herc learns about an interesting new development the next morning when he checks the news before heading downstairs for breakfast. It seems that following Chuck's and Raleigh's talk show and the evening's special, a surprising hype surrounding circuitry scars emerged. It obviously started out as a craze on all kinds of media platforms right after the talk show with tons of photos of Chuck's and Raleigh's arms, detailed comparisons and amateur analyses of the scars. It's followed by people posting pictures of drivesuit scars of various pilots from the very beginning of Jaeger tech. It's not too difficult to find such pictures considering that there's basically no pilot who doesn't sport at least some burns, since drivesuits have the nasty habit of charring flesh when they're faced with a sensory overload. Even Caitlin's scars make it into the media.

It basically expands into a full blown fad with almost reverent worshipping of the scars as a symbol of strength, courage and bravery, and - in the case of matching scars - as a sign of commitment, loyalty and belonging. Most people are fascinated by circuitry burns, Herc is well aware of that, but this is just ridiculous - especially when he reads that people have actually asked tattoo artists to give them fake circuitry scars. Herc can't quite decide whether he is offended or just wants to roll his eyes. 

He's never been overly fond of his own burns, but he never minded them, either. They are just a part of his body like any other scar he received in his years of service. Now he feels like every time somebody will take his picture, they're going to search it for every bit of scar that shows. Most of them are hidden underneath his clothes because his lower arms don't sport any, but a few show at the collar of his shirt. Of course there are pictures of them online, followed by a snapshot of Stacker's matching scars. They got them while test piloting for Caitlin way back in the Glory Days, and _those_ scars Herc always liked. 

When Herc stares at his tablet while going over the mess that is the drivesuit scars craze, he's suddenly very glad that he and Stacker made their relationship public right before the craze took off. People are noticing things now - and pointing them out, too. That could have turned ugly had their revelation come any later. Now it actually works in their favour, since nobody dares to question their relationship because they're a perfect match. It also helps to strengthen their standing that they were discovered and matched back in 2015 right after the Kaidanovskys, who are the unchallenged, longest-serving perfect match. 

Herc decides that he can't deal with this on an empty stomach and switches off his tablet to go get breakfast. Stacker is already gone because he had to take part in a very early video conference, so Herc makes his way down to the breakfast room on his own. He can spot quite a few members of the PPDC when he enters, his fellow Rangers as well as crew from the tour. Herc gets some food from the buffet, then he walks over to the table where Chuck and Raleigh are sitting. Chuck is just about to get up to get seconds when he turns around to say something to Raleigh, and Herc can't help snorting when he sees the bright green 'I love Raleigh Becket' sticker on the back of Chuck's left boot. 

He knows exactly who put it there - and even if he didn't know, the smugly grinning triplets, who are sitting two tables down over their own breakfast, are a dead giveaway. He's also certain that Chuck has no idea it's there, considering the easy way he's moving around, so it might be a good idea to tell him. Herc eyes Raleigh and wonders where on his person the triplets put the matching sticker. He just _knows_ there is one. They never do anything half-hearted, those three pranksters.

"Morning." Chuck greets him when Herc sits down at the table opposite of Raleigh. 

"Good morning to you, too." Herc tries to hide his smirk, but he's not sure he manages. "Ah, Chuck?"

"Yeah?" Chuck is just about to leave, but stops when Herc points at his left side.

"You might want to check the back of your left boot."

Chuck frowns in confusion. "What?"

Herc just chuckles. "The triplets got you."

"Oh hell!" Chuck immediately turns so that he can look at his leg. "What the heck is that?!" 

"What's up?" Raleigh is wondering from the other side of the table, obviously unable to see Chuck's leg from where he's sitting.

"The triplets put a sticker on him." Herc explains while Chuck is busy trying to get the offending object off his boot. 

Raleigh winces in sympathy. "Oh yeah, they got me good in Vladivostok. Plastered those damn stickers all over me. I swear, getting those things off was as painful as a Brazilian wax." 

For a moment Herc is tempted to ask how he'd know _that_ , but he refrains because he's quite sure he doesn't want to know.

"I think they got pretty much everyone at some point." Herc says instead with a casual shrug, because he's sure of it. They are a pest, the triplets, and they thoroughly enjoy it. 

It's only when Aleksis comes into the breakfast room that Herc gets an inkling that this thing is not limited to Chuck and Raleigh and yesterday's coming-out - because high up on the back of Aleksis's leather jacket is a bright yellow, rectangular sticker saying 'I love Sasha Kaidanovsky'. He doesn't seem to be aware of it, either, which makes Herc assume that it's not a conscious show of solidarity, but a Wei Tang prank. When Sasha follows a few seconds later with a corresponding 'I love Aleksis Kaidanovsky' sticker plastered to the back of her upper arm - well out of her field of vision, obviously - Herc almost chokes on his coffee. 

Oh man, the triplet are seriously suicidal. Herc can't help wondering how on earth they managed to get those stickers in place without the Russians noticing. Especially considering that currently only one of the brothers is not sitting in a wheelchair. 

When Caitlin and Newton come into the breakfast room with no apparent decoration hidden anywhere on their clothes, Herc starts wondering if this is a thing that is aimed at all the perfect matches - which would obviously include himself and Stacker as well. Herc resists the urge to check himself for any stickers for just about ten seconds, then he gets up and stands with his back facing the mirror over the buffet. He twists his head as far as he can to check his image, and sure enough, there's a light blue rectangle on the back of his right thigh. He doesn't even need to read it to know that it says 'I love Stacker Pentecost'. 

For a second Herc is mortified that he's been walking around with it for the entire morning - why did they have to put it on his _thigh_ , for Pete's sake? - then he can't help seeing the humorous side of things. He walks back to the table and looks at Chuck, who's still bent over and working on his boot.

"Chuck."

"What?" Chuck grumbles back without looking up from where he's still trying to peel off the sticker. It obviously adheres to his boot rather well.

"Chuck. Maybe you should leave it there for the day."

That makes Chuck look up, and he seems unable to decide whether to go for anger or disbelief. "Why _the heck_ would I do that?"

"Look." Herc points to where Sasha and Aleksis are standing next to each other at the buffet, unwittingly presenting their stickers to the entire room. He can tell the exact moment when Chuck notices the yellow rectangles. To make his point, Herc turns around and gestures at his own thigh. 

Chuck stares for a second, then he breaks out in whole-hearted laughter and stops scraping at the sticker on his boot. "Oh gosh, that's even better than mine!"

"Do I have one, too?" Raleigh asks from the other side of the table and gets up to check. Chuck looks him up and down, and it doesn't take too long to find an equally green 'I love Chuck Hansen' sticker smack in the middle of his lower back. Herc wonders if the triplets planned to do this and had the stickers custom made in advance, or if this was a spontaneous idea. Or if maybe they happen to carry around a conglomeration of stickers to use whenever they please. The latter seems the most likely, considering how they never seem to run out of stickers to torment people with, either while cheating them in poker or just for the pleasure of it.

"Yep, you have one." Chuck informs Raleigh with a smirk.

"Where? It's not on my butt, is it?" Raleigh asks, but seems more amused than angry at the prospect.

"No, it's right here." Chuck places his hand over the sticker. "Want me to get it off?"

"Nah, leave it." Raleigh grins, and there's definitely an ambiguous edge to it. "It's not like I have or want to hide it. And it _is_ true, after all." 

Herc is fascinated to see a faint blush begin to spread over Chuck's cheeks, who still has his hand pressed to Raleigh's lower back. It's oddly adorable, and Herc really never expected to use that word to describe _Chuck_ , of all people. 

"Well, I'll leave that sticker on my boot, then." Chuck replies and smirks. "Can't let you have all the fun, after all."

"Oh, it's going to be fun." Raleigh returns the smirk and sits back down to continue eating his neglected breakfast. "Just imagine what the media will make out of this. It's going to be hilarious."

Chuck just snorts, he's as well aware of the weird ways of the media as all the Rangers. Then he turns to Herc and jerks his chin at his leg. "Say, Dad, will you remove your confession of love?"

Herc thinks about it for a second, then he decides to go crazy for the day. He feels oddly mischievous today, and he doesn't see any reason why he shouldn't give in to the mood. It's not like he has any important meetings today, it's mostly just planned in for travelling to their next location. 

He chuckles and sits back down at the table. "Nah, I think I'll keep it. I can still claim I didn't know about it, given its rather obscure position."

"So, if all of us have a sticker," Chuck begins with a questioning gaze at Herc, "does that mean Pentecost was tagged as well?"

"I have no idea." Herc admits after sipping on his coffee. "But I intend to find out."

"They wouldn't be that bold, would they?" Raleigh wonders, seriously dumbfounded.

Herc just cocks an eyebrow. "They got Aleksis and Sasha."

"True." Raleigh concedes. "I'm not quite sure which is more dangerous. Pentecost certainly has some morals that the Russians won't bother with. And they know where to hide a body."

"Or three." Chuck offers with a smile that is bordering on pure evil. "I'll go now get seconds and while I do that, I'll inform Sasha and Aleksis about their newest adornment."

Raleigh chuckles and doesn't make any attempt to stop him. "Do that. I'll just eat my breakfast and enjoy the show."

Herc glances over to the table of the triplets, only to find them gone. He chuckles. They obviously have enough common sense to know when to better make a fast exit. Herc watches Chuck talk to Sasha and Aleksis, who do as Herc did and use the mirrors behind the buffet to get a look at what Chuck is talking about. They both just shrug it off and don't make any attempt to remove the stickers, which obviously means they will do the same as Herc, Chuck and Raleigh. Herc is still certain that they will find a way to make the triplets pay, though. He'll have to keep an eye out to make sure that there will be no bodily harm in the future. He needs _all_ of his pilots back on their feet as quickly as possible, after all. Not that the triplets don't deserve the revenge.

When Herc is finished with his breakfast, he gets a coffee for Stacker and makes his way up to the third floor. It's where the hotel's conference rooms are located and where he knows Stacker is about to finish his video call. Herc remains in the hallway when he hears voices inside and waits for Stacker to end the meeting. It only takes a few more minutes, then the voices fall silent. Beyond that, Herc can feel over the ghost drift how Stacker relaxes a bit, and that tells him that the connections are terminated and it's safe for him to enter.

Stacker is standing in his Marshal's uniform in front of a wall screen that is now showing the hotel's logo. He turns around when he sees Herc and smiles at him, accompanied by the warm feeling of affection that transmits over the ghost drift. 

"Brought you a coffee." Herc says with a smile and holds the cup out to Stacker. 

"You're the best." Stacker replies gratefully and takes a sip. "I needed that. This meeting was rather frustrating."

"It involved the UN, of course it was." Herc remarks drily. He's glad Stacker is taking on that part of their duties again, because Herc was seriously losing his patience with the UN, and turning aggressive will _not_ help the PPDC's cause. The UN is a major player, they can't afford to alienate them completely. The sad truth of politics. 

"Yes, they are rather obnoxious." Stacker admits and continues sipping his coffee. 

"Well, I have something to brighten your day." Herc announces and tells Stacker about the prank that the Wei Tang brothers are currently playing on all the perfect matches. He then turns around to offer Stacker a clear view of the blue sticker still attached to the back of his thigh. "By the way, I'm sure they got you, too. Somehow. Somewhere." 

Stacker raises an eyebrow in either challenge or threat, it's not easy to tell. "They wouldn't dare."

"Turn around." Herc says with a grin. "I want to check that for myself."

"You're not serious." Stacker retorts with a disbelieving look and stays where he is.

"Would you rather walk around all day _not_ knowing it's there? Because I'm sure it is." Herc asks provocatively, because he knows Stacker hates not knowing something. 

Stacker rolls his eyes and slowly turns in a circle. Herc lets his eyes scan over his body in a quick but thorough manner and finds his efforts rewarded.

"Got it!" Herc says triumphantly when he spots a light blue rectangle reading 'I love Herc Hansen' on the very bottom of Stacker's uniform pants. It's attached vertically and at the exact middle of the back of his calf. There's no way Stacker would ever have spotted it without seeing his own posterior view in a full-body mirror. They're evil, those triplets. And really good, Herc admits with reluctant respect for their stealth skills. He still has no idea how they managed to get those stickers on all the perfect matches without a single one of them noticing. 

"You're kidding." Stacker says in a tone of voice that tells Herc that he's well aware that it's not a joke. "Where? If it's on my butt, I'm going to invent a very cruel punishment for them."

Herc snorts and wonders why everyone always assumes it's their butt that was targeted. "No worries, it's not on your butt. It's on the bottom of your pant leg, right side."

Stacker twists enough to be able to see it and then huffs out a breath that is in equal measure irritation and respect. "How did they even manage to put that there? I really should have noticed them doing it, shouldn't I?"

"If it makes you feel any better, none of us did. And we're all highly trained Rangers. Didn't do us any good." Herc replies with a shrug and a smirk. By now he's mostly just amused by the triplets' antics.

"I should get that off before the next meeting." Stacker grumbles, still eyeing the blue sticker. Herc can tell that he can't quite decide whether to be angry or amused.

"We decided to leave it on, actually." Herc informs him with a smirk. "Chuck and Raleigh will, and Sasha and Aleksis, too. I instigated the idea, so I will leave it on, too. I'm only going to spend the day travelling anyway, there are no official appearances scheduled for today."

"You're actually enjoying this, aren't you." It's a statement, not a question. Stacker can feel that Herc is taking pleasure in the current development.

"A bit." Herc admits with a casual shrug. "And if it serves to confuse the media even just a bit, then I'm content."

"Is that some form of petty revenge?"

Herc chuckles. "Maybe."

"All right, then." Stacker says after a moment of contemplative silence. He turns to face Herc, and there's a distinctly mischievous smirk tugging on his lips that very few people ever get to see. "Let's have some fun confusing the media today."

Herc grins. "So you're not going to remove the sticker either?"

"No. I feel like being rebellious today." Stacker admits and then continues after a moment of consideration. "And maybe I'm a bit frustrated by this morning's meeting and need to tell the public, the world's leaders and especially the UN to piss off without actually saying that."

Herc laughs out loud and needs a second to regain his composure. "Have fun with that. I'm going to check the news regularly and see how successful you are." 

Stacker smirks and leans in to give Herc a lingering kiss. "Let me know how it goes."

"I certainly will." Herc smirks, leans into Stacker's embrace and enjoys the funny feeling of the cast of Stacker's left hand against his side. 

True to his word, Herc follows the news development throughout the day and sends Stacker short messages to keep him updated. They turn more ironic the longer the prank runs and the more elaborate and abstruse the media's theories become. While Herc is heading to Los Angeles for the next stop of the World Victory Tour, Stacker is bound for Washington for a series of meetings that are most likely not much fun. So Herc loves sensing Stacker's growing amusement over their ghost drift whenever he gets one of Herc's messages, especially knowing that apart from his flight, Stacker is caught in meetings almost all day. 

Herc only peels the sticker off his leg in the evening, when he's in his new hotel room. He knows that the others didn't remove theirs either during the day, because there are hundreds of pictures all over the internet documenting it. Even the news reported about the mysterious stickers on all the perfect matches. There's even more speculation on what it might about, many assuming that it's their way of showing solidarity with Chuck and Raleigh. Others think it's a publicity stunt. They even analyse the chosen colours and placements of the stickers. Not a single person gets the idea that it might just be a prank by the Wei Tang brothers. 

The overall result is that everybody is too focussed on the new mystery to take the time to be bothered by the recent outing of Chuck and Raleigh, and Herc and Stacker. Herc secretly thinks that that might have been what the brothers were aiming for all along. He has to hand it to the triplets, they sure know how to distract from one point and make another. 

All in all, Herc thinks contently, things aren't going too badly.

**Author's Note:**

> So, did you like it? I'd love to hear your opinion, my lovelies ^_^


End file.
